Printmaker Katsunori Hamanishi was born in Hakkaido, Japan, in 1949. He studied painting and graduated from Tokai University, Kanagawa, with a degree in art in 1973. He began exhibiting internationally and received critical acclaim for both his paintings and prints. After receiving an invitation from H. Carroll Cassill, head of the printmaking department at the Cleveland Art Institute, to stay as a visiting artist at the school in 1986, Hamanishi was sponsored by the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs to further his studies in the U.S. from 1987 to 1988. He lived with his wife and son in Philadelphia for a year while studied and exhibiting in Pennsylvania. Hamanashi is currently based in Tokyo, where his primary focus is mezzotint printmaking.

Hamanishi's early work focused on everyday objects, elevating them to Modernist works with a nearly surreal quality by elevating things such as ropes, pipes, and the flora of his environment into a composition of delicate, meditative balance. He also been exploring the use of color and metallic leaf in his artwork. In 2005 Mr. Hamanishi began the Haze series exploring more abstract themes using the subtle differences between matte and black inks done in mezzotint and relief printing.

There is always a sense of mystery and intrigue in the complex mezzotint prints that come from Hamanishi’s deft hands. They compel the viewer to do a slow, thoughtful examination in order to fully absorb the vision the artist intends.

Exhibitions:
Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts --2 person show with Hamaguchi
Ibiza Biennial, Spain--Grand Prize
Original Colored Graphic Print Triennial, Switzerland--Grand Prize
Cabo Frio International Print Biennial, Brazil--Grand Prize
CWAJ Print Show, Tokyo--Art Grant winner
Republic of China Print Exhibit--Gold Medal
Graphic Arts Council, Achenbach Foundation, San Francisco--commissioned print
Art Institute of Cleveland
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada--visiting artist
Shun-yo-Kai, Tokyo--prize winner
Bhara Bhavan International Print Biennale, India
Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay

Collections:
The British Museum, London
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Art Institute of Chicago
National Museum of Art, Osaka
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo
Krakow National Museum, Poland
Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa
Cleveland Museum of Art
Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, San Francisco

Some elements of this biography come from the website of Ren Brown Gallery, who represents the artist. An in-depth profile of Hamanishi can be found on the website of the Print Club of Cleveland.